Tauranga managed three penalty goals and never looked like scoring a try against a ruthless and well-drilled side that is improving with every week of the competition.
The brutal foundations were laid early by a fired up Te Puke forward pack that steamrolled Tauranga into submission with rolling mauls sucking the life out of the home side.
Flanker Jacob Janson, in his blazer game, was driven over for the opening try and prop Joe Ormsby followed soon after for a 14-3 lead. John Dodd added two more penalties to close the gap to 14-9 but it was not for long.
Classy inside back pairing of halfback Luke Campbell and first five Jason Robertson were the stars of the rest of the show, combining well to put in-form fullback Cole Forbes over.
Just before halftime, after Tauranga had a second player sin binned, winger Declan Barnett finished off an excellent team try for a 28-9 lead.
Two superb tries inside the opening 10 minutes of the second spell, finished off by winger Curtis Deane and a second to Barnett, ended any resistance from the home side.
Late tries to Forbes and Cole Armstrong, plus accurate goalkicking from Robertson, saw the Te Puke Pirates hit 50 for the first time at the Domain.
Player/coach Matt Wallis was pleased with how his team went up a level from the Te Puna match.
"We were better getting into our systems and our attacking shape this week. We worked all week on getting into that system from turnover ball and getting the shape we play with," he says.
"There were times when we were still inaccurate but pleased generally with how we played."
Wallis made mention of Steamers halfback Campbell, who was the dominant figure in the game.
"He brings that leadership and that level that the boys need to get to, week in and week out. The club means a lot to him and he puts a lot of pressure on himself to perform each week.
"The boys see that and that's what we want from the boys coming down from rep rugby to lead and the young guys can feed off it."
Tauranga head coach Euan Mackintosh knows his team is better than what they showed.
"They played to their potential and we didn't play anywhere near our potential. At 52-9, it looks like men against schoolboys but we know that the rugby we played against Te Puna, Mount and Greerton is not far off what Te Puke did to us today.
"Early doors in the first half we played into their hands. Our exits, our kick-off receptions made them stay in our half so those are key focuses for us."
